Materials used in the turbine section of a gas turbine engine may be subjected to temperatures that are above the melting point of those materials. To operate under such high temperatures, the parts using those materials must be internally cooled. Turbine airfoils, for example, use internal cores that form hollow passages within the airfoils. In high heat load applications, trip strips may be used within these passages to further enhance convective cooling.
It is typical in the art, for a ceramic material to be injected into a metal die and then fired to form desired core passages of a turbine airfoil. Slots are built into the die into which a RMC (Refractory Metal Core) is inserted. The RMC is stamped or cut out and then put into form dies to achieve the desired 3D shapes. The RMC is then attached into the slots in the ceramic core. At this point, the sacrificial die is prepared for further processing such as a lost wax process, investment casting or the like.